Electronic device and panel device

• US 10,209,791 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Ikeda, Tomoyoshi, Nakao, Fumiaki, Kono, Kenji, Aono, Tomotake, Shimizu, Katsuhiko, Hattori, Shigeto, Takeda, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Carolyn R
• Application Number:
  US14/402,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20160034057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2400/03 Transducers capable of generating both sound as well as tactile vibration, e.g. as used in cellular phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2440/05 Aspects relating to the positioning and way or means of mounting of exciters to resonant bending wave panels
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/045 using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion

Abstract

An electronic device can effectively transmit sound even if a force is applied to a panel by an ear. The electronic device includes a panel (10) and a vibration unit (30) that vibrates the panel (10) to generate air-conducted sound and vibration sound that is transmitted through a portion of a human body. The intensity of vibration of the vibration unit (30) changes in accordance with the force applied to the panel (10).

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a panel configured to detect contact;

a first piezoelectric element disposed on the panel; and

a control unit configured to perform control to output sound by driving the first piezoelectric element, wherein

while executing a calling function, the control unit performs control to drive the first piezoelectric element based on an area of the contact detected by the panel,

the control unit performs control to drive the first piezoelectric element when the area of the contact detected by the panel satisfies a predetermined standard,

the predetermined standard is a size of a user'"'"'s ear, and

the control unit performs control to drive the first piezoelectric element based on whether the area of the contact is equal to or less than the size of the user'"'"'s ear.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second piezoelectric element disposed on the panel and configured to detect pressure on the panel, wherein

the control unit performs control, based on pressure on the panel, to execute predetermined processing, and

while executing the calling function, the control unit, based on the area of the contact detected by the panel, performs control so that the second piezoelectric element does not detect pressure on the panel and performs control to drive the first piezoelectric element.